I'm a Little Bit Unnecessary

This book.

I'm a little bit obsessed with it.

It all started when I had to go to the grocery store to get like two completely needed things, and Joseph said, "Let's go to Target even though it's further and the roads are all flooded and it will cause you to buy unnecessary items" and I was like, "Why?" and he was like "Because I want to look around."  But I thought that I'd be okay because I went to Target twice last week with Amy and all I bought was an exercise ball, a pair of hand weights, and a plaid shirt.  So I told myself, self control, self control, you can do it, you took a two-week trip to Europe and you're broke.

And then we pulled up to the Target.  And I knew I was in trouble.

This was, like, the most monstrous Target I've ever seen in my life.  It was the king of Targets.  So I said when we pulled in, okay, I'm going to buy a candy bar, and I won't feel guilty about it because I'm now prepared.  But then Joseph said, "I want to look at the multimedia section."  So I relented and we walked over.  But there were books on the way to the multimedia section.  And not... just... books...

Cookbooks.

Lots of them.

And I opened the cover of Hello, Cupcake!

You see, I had heard of this book from both the Paula Deen show and my internship at the TODAY Show, but I wasn't a victim of it's unparalleled magnetism until I opened the cover.  It shows you how to make LITTLE PEAS AND CARROTS!  GOLDFISH BOWLS!  KITTIES AND DOGGIES!  I can't handle any of it.

After over-enthusiastically showing Joe almost every page in the book he looked at me and said, "WELL, JUST GET IT ALREADY!"  And I said, "Noooo, it's fifteen dollars and so unnecessary!"  And he grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me until I agreed to get it.  Then I went to the chiropractor.

Just kidding.  But he did say to me, "Nobody should like something that much and not get it."  Which really makes perfect sense, right?

So fifty dollars later, we left Target and I neglected Joe all night because I was looking at all of the cupcake pictures and now I want to make cupcakes every day of my life.

Someone please stage an intervention because...

Because...

Because...

There's a sequel.

Love and SOS,
Courtney

Absenteeism

Listen, I know that I'm a huge blog slacker. I am also a huge gym slacker, and I am definitely a huge clean-my-room slacker. But I swear that all of this is mostly not my fault, and I will try to be better about all three this week, especially since I have a lot to say!

So for now I will just leave you with this... it is my mother's birthday today and I made this delicious cake for her. It is a Hershey's chocolate cake with homemade vanilla frosting, yum yum. This is not part of detox... but it's her birthday, what can I do??? :)

Love and powdered sugar in my hair,
Courtney

Temptation

This is not part of the detox diet.

I just ate four.

Operation: Detox

As you might have assumed, I made it back onto American soil safely on Saturday.  If I hadn't, there would have been five hundred million angry posts here.  Unless, of course, I had been kidnapped, in which case I probably wouldn't be focused on updating my blog.  But that didn't happen, and I'm home, and I think I left my brain in Europe, which is why I haven't updated this thing.  I suppose it will arrive in a few days, along with my American sleep schedule.

Since I've been home, I've been looking at my fellow EF break-er's pictures on Facebook while I work up the energy to upload my own (they are coming onto my computer as we speak... all 960 of them), and I promise to post some here once I have the time.  Each time I look at more pictures, I miss the trip so much!  Yes, there were a lot of problems with the logistics of the trip, but the places we went and people I met were amazing, and it's hard to accept that it's over already.

The other thing I've started since being home is an all-out European detox.  Modeled after my world travel-experienced coworker and friend Amy, I need to seriously reform after these past two weeks.  Now, I know that my definition of "detox" is much different than some.  I'm not going on an all-liquid diet or only eating things that are colored green or something.  No, here's an intro to the Courtney version of detox:

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Part #1: Drink lots of water

I don't know what the deal is with Europeans and water, but apparently they hate drinking it over there.  A regular bottle of water is like 3 Euros, which is nearly $4, which is so outside of my budget.  Plus, being on a bus without a "working bathroom" all day makes you really nervous as to when the next rest stop will be!  Therefore, I spent most of my trip to Europe abstaining from water, which was probably the opposite of what I should have done.  So, the first part of the European detox is lots and lots and lots of water.

Current progress status: Very good

Part #2: Get your butt back to the gym

Yes, I know that I did a decent amount of walking in Europe, but when you are sitting on a bus for eight hours at a time, you tend to feel exceedingly lazy.  This is compounded by the fact that I was consuming lots of calories via delicious European food and drink, which of course you HAVE to experience on a European adventure, right?  I couldn't help it, right??  Anyone???  Please?!?

Anyway, the point is that I've gotten really out of shape between the eating and lack of water and lack of regular exercise.  So, it's back to Gold's Gym, which I'm sure has missed me, and back to Zumba and BodyPump, which I hope have missed me, because I have missed them.  Sort of.

Current progress status: Took the first step... it only goes uphill from here!

Part #3: Stop eating junk. Especially carbs. Mostly

Ok, here's where detox really hits hard.  I ate so, so much good food in Europe, but 99% of it was bad for me.  Baguettes, cheese, pizza, pasta, chips, fries, fried food, croissants: you name it, I ate it.  By the end of the trip, I just felt gross and disgusting.  So, yesterday I went to the grocery store, and here is a piece of the line-up:

WARNING: BAD QUALITY PHOTOS AHEAD!

Looking at this, it looks pretty good.  I got a lot of fruit, some yogurt... let's take a closer look, shall we?

Light & Fit yogurt.  The name says it all: "light" and "fit."  Totally detox.

Apples in a bag.  They are pink lady apples, to be precise, and they are super delicious.  They are also Joe's favorite, which is why I eat them too!

Strawberries!  They were 2 cartons for $4 at the store, and these ones are incredibly sweet and delicious.  I like to mix them up with my yogurt (see above) and cry a little before I eat them for a snack.

Guacamole.  Now, this isn't as good as it could be because it's in a package, and I could easily get carried away and eat too much, but in moderation, this is completely acceptable for detox.  Besides, the avocados were hard and not good for guac.  And sometimes, I just need my guac.

Carrots.  Steal my heart.  Once upon a time about a year ago, I promised Joe's mother that I wouldn't eat baby carrots anymore because they are manufactured and unnatural and could be washed in bleach.  So, I buy a big bag of carrots, peel them, and cut a ton up for snacks.  Yesterday, I gave myself a blister doing this, but I chose not to include a picture of that, for the sake of your sanity.

Also, organic carrots taste better.  It's a fact, according to me.

Chex mix.  THIS COUNTS!  Look at the label: 60% LESS FAT than potato chips.  Sure, they aren't the best, but when I want my munchie fix, I would much rather turn to these babies (sour cream and onion, omg) than some greasy chips.


But wait a minute...

WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!?

Swiss chocolate delicious candy bar, you are not part of my detox diet.  I'm sorry, it just can't happen.

But dark chocolate is good for you, right??....

And hazelnuts are good for you too, right???...


Okay, candy bar.  You can stay.  BUT ONLY IN LIMITED QUANTITIES!

And if George Darden steals you out of my desk, I'll be upset.

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Now that my photos are done uploading, I will try to find some time to upload more.  There are definitely a lot of good ones, and I want to live vicariously through them again.  Please??

Love and attempted self-control,
Courtney

Viva Italia!

Arrival at our hotel in Italy! We are staying in Cavallino, which is very residential and beautiful. Hotel isn't that great, and I tried to do laundry, but we have to keep our room closed up so I am afraid it won't dry by the time we leave! We ate overlooking the beach at sunset, and I got a margherita pizza. It was only seven euros for the whole pizza (which I should have shared, I didn't finish it) and three glasses of vino dolce. In every city, I like the food more and more! This one takes the cake... It's cheap AND delicious!

We spent the night hanging out on the beach. Now I can say that I went swimming in Italy at night. The water was very shallow, sow e could walk out far and still be able to stand. It was a lot warmer than the water in New England!

Today we are in Venizia for real... I can't wait to see it all!

Love and pizze Italia,
Courtney

Second German dinner

We grabbed this plate of delicious in the middle of the bike ride. Nobody knows what exactly was in it, but I saw potatoes, onions, turkey, sausage, and some other things. I shall call this dish: "Everything."

A German Meal

Bratwurst, sauerkraut, and potatoes.
AND I LOVED EVERY BIT OF IT

Pannenkoeken!

When someone asked me whether I would like Dutch food, I had no idea because I didn't know what was considered "Dutch food." after two days in Amsterdam, guess what? I STILL didn't know what Dutch food was. I ate a lot of fries and sandwiches, but nothing that would really be considered different. Even the breakfasts were pretty normal (fruit, bread, some sausage and eggs). In fact, most Dutch cafes serve international food... Argentinian or Asian. I was not about to tell everyone I ate CHINESE FOOD in Amsterdam.

But then...

But then...

We found pannenkoeken.

Amy had told me about pannenkoeken before I left, so I knew that I had to seek it out. It is basically a Dutch pancake (the restaurant was called "Pancakes! Amsterdam") with whatever you want either inside or on top of it. It reminds me of a cross between a pancake, a crepe, and an omelette. If you can imagine that, its a pretty accurate description.

I got a mushroom and onion pancake (pictured above) to be adventurous. It was good, but I wish it had had some sauce. My friends got fruit pancakes - banana/chocolate and strawberry/banana/whipped cream. They were very filling and delicious.

So now I can say that I LIKE DUTCH FOOD! I've just learned to stay away from anything that is imitation-American (ie: hamburgers) because it will not be the same.

Tonight we are going to an Argentinian restaurant and I can't wait to try something new. It's our last night in the city, so we have to be adventurous!

Love and pannenkoeken,
Courtney